Buyer guide — Pricing
Coal prices per tonne in Africa
Buyers often compare a mine-gate price in one country with a delivered price in another and reach the wrong conclusion. This page explains how a landed coal price is actually built up so you can compare offers on the same basis.
The five components of a landed coal price
Every delivered tonne carries: mine gate cost, road or rail haulage, border and clearing costs, port or handling charges where applicable, and the supplier's margin and risk cover.
- —Mine gate — driven by grade, washing and stripping ratio
- —Haulage — distance, diesel, axle load and return-load availability
- —Border — duty (usually nil within SADC/COMESA), bonds, agent fees
- —Port — stevedoring, storage, draft survey, demurrage exposure
- —Index linkage — API4 movement on export-grade parcels
Why we do not publish fixed prices
Coal is an indexed commodity and regional trucking rates move with diesel and exchange rates. A published web price would be wrong within a fortnight. We issue a dated price list on request, valid for a stated period, so both sides can contract with confidence.
Reducing your cost per delivered gigajoule
The cheapest tonne is rarely the cheapest energy. Compare offers on delivered cost per useful gigajoule after ash disposal, moisture and downtime. We will run that calculation for your plant free of charge.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current price of coal per tonne in Africa?
- It varies by grade, destination and Incoterm and moves with the API4 index and regional haulage rates. Request our dated price list for current figures.
- Is delivered or ex-works cheaper?
- Ex-works looks cheaper but transfers all transit, border and demurrage risk to you. For most buyers, delivered pricing is lower in total cost.
Related — Buyer guides
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